CNY Author Scores With New Book and Her Own Inspirational Story

A longtime Utica resident has written a fascinating historical novel based on a scurrilous event from the city's past. Plus, the author's story is an inspiration.

The Balance of Justice: The Utica Streetcar Murder of 1872, by Eileen Sullivan Hopsicker, is a murder mystery, an examination of societal mores and legal issues of a bygone era, and a singular accomplishment by its author.

Ms. Hopsicker has an impressive resume. Here's her bio from the book sleeve:

It's hard to determine exactly who is more remarkable here--Ms. Hopsicker, for completing and publishing a book in her 70s, or the main character of her novel.

Josephine McCarty was up on a murder charge in a shooting on a horse-drawn streetcar in downtown Utica. The complex story centers around McCarty's courage, high-powered prosectors sent from the governor's office in Albany, and the influences of 19th century society, money and power.

“She was a woman a century ahead of her time,” Hopsicker told us, “and I wanted to draw her into the 21st century.”

The Balance of Justice: The Utica Streetcar Murder of 1872 is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and everywhere books are sold. Congrats to one of Utica's own for her major achievement. Now, let's make this baby a best-seller.